The 2016 Euro moves to its knockout rounds with eight teams taking an early flight home. The group stages saw some memorable action in which many records broken. Rediff.com takes a look at the standout stats from the 36 matches in the preliminary round.
A round-up of all the international friendlies played on Tuesday
AS Roma boosted their Serie A title challenge with a 1-0 win at Udinese on Tuesday amid controversy over whether Davide Astori's header had crossed the line for the game's only goal.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
While few doubt Guardiola is capable of continuing his revolution at City, it is questionable whether his approach will have a broader influence on tactics and coaching across the Premier League.
Bayern Munich's Thomas Mueller scored a hat-trick as the undefeated champions crushed Eintracht Frankfurt 4-0 to open up a seven-point lead at the top.
Manchester United are optimistic ahead of a crucial period of fixtures as they are close to finding their best form, midfielder Ander Herrera said ahead of Sunday's top of the table showdown against Premier League leaders Manchester City.
'They created danger when we lost the ball or because of our errors. I believe that if we stay calm, remain really patient and make them move then the game will go our way'
Brazil inflicted France's first defeat since the World Cup when a perfectly executed second-half performance earned them a 3-1 win in a friendly game at the Stade de France on Thursday.
Thomas Mueller scored twice as Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich came from a goal down to beat Hanover 3-1 on Saturday and stretch their advantage at the top to 11 points after VfL Wolfsburg slumped to a 1-0 loss at Augsburg.
Ivory Coast qualified for a third straight World Cup after weathering Senegal's late onslaught in a 1-1 draw in the second leg of their playoff on Saturday to progress 4-2 on aggregate.
'I understood that if I dedicated myself solely to coaching, I could get much better at it'
Argentina's injured captain Lionel Messi has been named in a squad missing the suspended Javier Mascherano and Gonzalo Higuain for next month's World Cup qualifier against South America's bottom side Paraguay.
Lionel Messi announced on Friday that he wants to return to play for the national team, reversing his decision to retire earlier this year. Messi said in June that he would not play for Argentina again after the team lost to Chile in the final of the Copa America.
The Women's World Cup stopped to take a breath on Wednesday following an opening round of games that produced a little bit of everything.
CONCACAF big guns Mexico, the United States and Costa Rica all got off to winning starts on Friday in their qualifying campaign for the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
Substitute Costa slipped the ball past the keeper from close range in the 48th minute of the second half to break the deadlock and extend Brazil's winning run to 11 matches.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Argentina and Brazil both lost their opening World Cup qualifiers on Thursday as the South American campaign for Russia 2018 started in unexpected fashion.
Arsenal qualified for a 17th successive season with a nervy 1-0 win at home to Besiktas and Malmo made it for the first time with a 3-0 win over Salzburg, whose participation ended in the qualifiers for the ninth time in a row.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Images from the football matches played across Europe on Sunday
A summary of Thursday night's UEFA Champions League matches.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
On Saturday he made the difference yet again with two goals to help Real Madrid secure a third Champions League title in four years as they crushed Juventus 4-1 in a riveting final.
Barca captain Messi opened the scoring with a "Panenka" penalty chipped straight down the middle in the 17th minute after Luis Suarez was fouled in the area, putting the home side ahead in the tie after a goalless first leg in France.
Leicester City stumbled on their march towards the Premier League title when they drew 2-2 with West Ham United and had goalscorer Jamie Vardy sent off at the King Power Stadium on Sunday.
Argentina's star player Lionel Messi on Monday announced his retirement from international football after missing a penalty in the team's 2-4 defeat against Chile in the Copa America Centenario final at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. Following Messi's retirement from international football, Rediff.com lists the highs and lows from the player's Argentina career...
A summary of sports events and sportspersons, who made news on Tuesday.
Giacomo Bonaventura's free kick earned Milan a 1-0 win over Pescara to move them into the top three of Serie A on Sunday.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Important to have a good, fit squad: Mumbai City's Forlan
New Liverpool boss Juergen Klopp made it three wins from his last three matches with a 1-0 success at Rubin Kazan in Russia that left them second in Group B, two points behind Swiss club Sion on Thursday.
Hoffenheim ended champions Bayern Munich's 19-game winning streak in the Bundesliga on Saturday with a 3-3 draw after first taking the lead and then fighting back from two goals down.
A summary of sports events and sports persons, who made news on Tuesday
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Croatia edged closer to next year's World Cup with an emphatic 4-1 home win over Greece on Thursday in the first leg of their two-legged playoff.
Images from the Champions League round of 16 second leg matches played on Tuesday
IMAGES from the Champions League matches played on Tuesday
Albania qualified for Euro 2016, their first ever major tournament, when a 3-0 away win over Armenia clinched second place in Group 'I' above Denmark on Sunday sparking wild celebrations across the country.
